Tyrian Reunion
Xrosmas Concert The season of Xrosmas had finally landed on the . It was supposed to be a time of jolly, of gift-giving, and of freedom. The world's laws be damned for this season, for people could be as hale and hearty as they'd like. Bask in the glory of good food, great wine, and exorbitant entertainment after a year of hard, toiling work. Of course, this season wasn't all it was laid out to be on the surface. To celebrate this season was actually to partake in illegal activities, for Xrosmas was a holiday mandated by the Xros Pirates in their territories. It was to worship their "God", Michael D. Shiguma and bask in the freedom that he offered the people. Therefore, people gave in the name of their God, both to the Xros, and to themselves. Well, that was one side of what the common citizen saw. If Xrosmas was a season of giving, it was also a season of taking. Those who reached the of the world, unfettered by the idea of social norms, would steal joys from the commonfolk. Purchasing people dressed in specific attire for astronomical prices, these were the buyers of the furniture known as slaves — humans that had been ripped apart from their existence and placed as nothing more than a plaything for the upper echelon of society. Even if it was a holiday brought about by Pirates, it didn't matter. There was no means of resistance. Those who trade and earn their keep off of selling fellow humans were at their peak during this season. Nothing would get in the way of their transactions, even if it meant manslaughter in the process. Of course, for every rule there was a single exception. And for every slave in the world...A Purple Pirate would be their savior! ---- Dawn broke at the dazzling island of Evergarden, where Christmas celebrations were at their most fervent. The bright orange sun broke through the darkness of night, illuminating the sky into a magnificent blue. Light spilled onto the island, where Xrosmas decorations littered the streets a plenty, as those who worked deep into the nights had retreated to their homes for a well-deserved rest. "Cock-a-doodle-doo~!" A voice penetrated the silence of the small hut in the outer corner of Evergarden's main city, where numerous other huts were lined up in a similar fashion. "Dawn has come, so we bid sleep adieu~!" The proud, feminine voice continued to sing, "Let us approach the day~ So purge exhaustion away~!" The voice of this singer belonged to none other than the and of the Purple Pirates and Eminence Extravaganza: Lockhart Phantasma. With her lithe, but strong figure, voluptuous features, and her outfit as ringleader already decked up, she truly looked the part. While she had been covert in Paradise for some time, after the rapid rise in infamy of her childhood friend and fellow Purple Pirate, Benjamin Tabart, she had sung her way into the seas of the . Thereafter, she formed an alliance with the Titan Pirates, acting as external members of their 2nd Division. As of right now, she was attending the extremely popular "Xrosmas Parade" of Evergarden, where it is rumored over 100 entertainers will be making their name on the stage. As a new entrant to the New World, this was Eminence Extravaganza's debut performance. To ensure that nothing went wrong on the day of the performance, Phantasma was drilling her performers' training double-time. Boom, something akin to a rocket burst out of the top of one hut, it hit against a nearby building and seemed to be folded like a ball. Ricocheting several times, it managed to avoid the other huts spread throughout the small area. Finally, it landed just before Phantasma's feet, stretching out and revealing the form of Auguste Pierre, still in his sleeping clothes, which compromised of teddy-bear baggy clothes. His white skin and purple hair glistened in the morning light, expression peaceful- "AH, AH, AH, WHAT IS IT?! A COC- NO I MEAN, CHICKEN?!" Eyes shooting open, Pierre yelled into the daylight, body bolting up and making him stand. He found Phantasma a small distance from him, weeping, "P-Phantasma-san... I dreamed about a meanie purple chicken..." In another hut just a few steps away from the two, the sound of snoring could easily be heard. The hut belonged to no other person but Dore Theo, who was still very unfamiliar with waking up on time. However, his captain's voice managed to penetrate his dreams enough for him to lazily open an eye. But he had been scolded before about this, and he was extremely aware of the anger of Captain Phantasma. This would be the trigger which would spring him into the actions of getting himself ready. Grabbing his book and pencil, since he was the playwright, Theo ran into place just beside his fellow crew member. "Morning, Cap'n!" "UUUUUGHHHH, 5 MORE MINUTES." You could hear cat like yawns and growls emanating from the hut directly next to Pierre's. "Mornin already, sheesh can't a bitch get some sleep around here, you know I can't get into character when I haven't gotten enough sleep, Phantasma." The girl arose from her bed, her hair matted from sleeping badly. "Fuck, I forgot to tie up my hair, this hair was expensive, now its all matted. I BLAME YOU FOR THIS, PHANTASMA." A pillow can be seen flying through her door, aimed at Pierre though her true target was phantasma. The girl now fully awoken lifted her sheets and proceded to move to her nightstand, leaving her bed. She took a seat, she began brushing her hair and doing her makeup all at the same time, it was amazing at her ability to multitask, she was done within minutes. "Finally, back to normal, couldn't go out lookin busted." She smacked her face a few times lightly, before leaving she changed her clothes and threw on a small red jacket. As she exited her Hut and entered the line it was clear this was Letitia Dolce, trapeze artist and dancer in the Purple Pirates. "All right Phantasma, I'm ready, I'll get in character once we hit the stage, so wassup?" Fortunately their beloved captain remained outside of the huts. For as soon as her lovely singing wafted from the great outdoors into the hut, two knives buried themselves in the entryway frame. A sleepy, if vexed Caroline rolled over, greeted by streaming sunlight. She hissed. "Why is our Captain so damn cheerful at this hour?" asked no one in particular. She rolled out of bed, already dressed from last night. Blinking away sleep, she yawned, before staring at the entryway. She'd find her knives stuck in a perfect line, an millimeter to the left of the door itself. "Niceee." The woman stood up, corralling her wild mane of purple hair into a ponytail before plucking the two knives from the location. The lass frowned at one of them. "Too dull." She tossed it into her bag without a second thought, producing another knife. Exiting the hut, Caroline had only one worry on her mind, "Please tell me you have an actual chicken Tasma...I'm starving over here.." Sage was quick to appear soon after, standing behind Carol. “A chicken?! What a meal that would be! Killed live, and consumed while it breathed for the last time! Such a tragic way to go.” He announced, being as flamboyant as usual. Sage unsheathed his blade, tossing it into the air. “After I consume the chicken,” he began. The blade twirled circles in the air, before falling back towards the ground where Sage gracefully snatched it by the hilt. “The show will commence!” Another woman, with artificial rabbit ears, was seen coming into the tent, while keeping the tent door open for somebody else. Yawning slightly, she rubbed her eyes. "Y'all are way too awake for this. And I'm supposed to be the bunny around here...Anyways, I think we've all gathered." This was Xena, the Fire Breather of the Purple Pirates. Although right now, she did not have her necessary gear. Outside the tent was a woman with a very apparent bust, but otherwise innocent expression on her face. Bearing a strong resemblance to Phantasma, she was her younger sister, Lockhart Magoria. However, her most distinctive feature was no doubt the monstrous robotic hands that she had been seated upon. Their size surpassed her own stature, and no doubt carrying them required a monstrous amount of strength, though no strain was visible in her eyes. "I-I'm here too Phantasma-nee! What did you need?" She asked innocently, as she smiled towards the other crewmembers who gathered. "You are all here~ This calls for a cheer~!" Phantasma lyrically rejoiced as she pranced around the room, no doubt angering her crewmates. "Hip hip, hoorah!" Sage yelled, piggybacking off of Phantasma's cheer. The eccentric man leaped around, tossing flower petals across the deck. Suddenly, a sombre expression was visible on her face. "You all know why we're here..." The melody in her voice quietened, "Xrosmas, in the New World, is the most ripe time for the trading of slaves. And we, as the Purple Pirates, must stop this trade." Waving her wand in the air, Phantasma continued. "As the Eminence Extravaganza, we have been invited to the Xrosmas Concert to entertain people. But you all know exactly what this concert is. It is an extravagant attempt at grabbing newer entertainers and selling them to the slave traders. It is orchestrated by the vile Xros Pirates, after all!" Phantasma's voice was pronounced, commanding everyone to listen to her. Surprisingly, she had no time for antics today. "We're here to fulfill our goals as members of the Purple Pirates, but also, as representatives of the Titan Pirates 2nd Division." Phantasma closed her eyes, and was reminded of their gruel training by the 2nd Division's Captain and Vice Captain, in which they all awoke and trained in the use of Haki, and enhanced their own combat abilities by significant margins. "We are to intercept this Underworld transaction with the Xros Pirates and cut off a part of their resources, so that we have a greater chance at taking down Michael D. Shiguma for good. But, we're not here just for the Titan Pirates. We're here for ourselves. Our duty is to free those who are, or are to become slaves. And...we are going to help Tabart-kun until we are able to see him face-to-face. Is that understood?!" "O-of course, Phantasma-nee! W-we all owe Tabart-kun a lot...we can't let him fight this battle alone!" Magoria responded passionately, her eyes flaring up. There was a lot that Magoria needed to say to Tabart. This time, she couldn't let him go on alone again. "Yes, Captain Phantasma!" Xena reported seriously, "We're going to put on a show, and then in the shadow, swoop to our success, just as we always have!" A loud rumbling was heard as a large badger emerged from behind a hut. The creature stood up on it's back legs, it's form seemingly shifting. The badger let out a loud groan before shifting once more, this time into a tall, muscular man. This man was Guddom Barsuk, one of the newer members of the Eminence Extravaganza. "Sorry Captain," Barsuk stretched and yawned before continuing, "I missed part of the speech. Can you give me the short version? Sage leaped next to Barsuk, smiling. "Ah, it's nothing more than the usual! Bamboozle an audience, and do our crafty stuff in secret!" he announced, giving him the 'short version' he had asked for. "Duh, there's nothing like crashing someone's party Tasma; makes for a good show," Carol started, twirling her dagger before pointing it at the late arrival. "Jeez, do you always sleep like a badger Bar? Go to bed like a damn person for once; maybe you'll be up in time. Long story short, we're here to blow some minds, free some people, then get the hell out of dodge; you know, the usual." Barsuk groaned at the insult directed towards his badger form preference. "It's more comfortable. It's like being wrapped up in three fluffy blankets. You should try it, plus it could possibly prevent that stick from getting shoved further up your ass." Barsuk hissed the last few words before sitting down. As he sat his coat enveloped his arms, the design matching that of a honey badger. "Do we have an actual plan? Or is that it?" She smirked in response, tapping the blade on his head. "Maybe I should skin you while you're sleeping then; I've been in the market for a fur coat," the knife-thrower retorted before leaning against the wall of a nearby building. "Well, you wanted the short story and you got it; if you want the actual plan, get off your lazy sleeping ass and show up on time like the rest of us." "Quiet." Phantasma spoke intently, silencing the room entirely with her presence. "We don't have time for bickering, you two. We have a plan of action to go over." Phantasma whipped her wand once again in the air, before continuing. "We are posing as members of the Eminence Extravaganza at the moment in order to be recognized by the Slave Traders — the Covenant Slavers. They are overseeing the event, as well as the capture and distribution of the Entertainer Slaves." Phantasma paused for a moment, and she threw a copy of the organization's image to the group. "Be watchful for this sign. This is the organization we're dealing with. They are one of the top slave traders in the New World at the moment, but this is a chance for us to deal a crippling blow to them." Phantasma smirked, almost maliciously. "We shall enter their slave ring by posing as harmless performers. And then, while their guard is down...we shall break their plan from the inside, bailing out all the slaves at once. Though, there is no doubt to be resistance, I am sure that with our training, we can confidently escape." Phantasma then paused for a moment, as she drew the insignia of the four Yonko with her wand. "If we are successful, we will disastrously lower the credibility of the Covenant Slavers to the Yonko and beyond as slave traders. They will no longer be trusted, and no longer be capable of large-scale slavery. And once they have been removed off the radar of the higher-ups, we can move in to destroy them entirely with the assistance of the Titan Pirates, removing one of our many oppositions." Phantasma placed her wand down and took a seat. "Any objections~? Any questions~?" "Sounds good, though will we have some signal for when to cut loose? And who will be in charge of doing what? Much as I love a little chaos, it doesn't help anyone if our asses are caught." Pierre was another who raised his arm frantically, "U-Um, what if they use the other people-" To the right and to the left, he glanced hurriedly, quick breaths leaving his mouth. "I-I don't want to let t-these bad people h-hurting other slaves, Phantasma-san..." Pierre uttered, mouth almost twisting as he held himself. "A-Also, don't fight you a-all, please!!" He was no person to fully understand these kinds of plans, yet, depending on the instructions, Piere could sure as hell follow them. Three squirrel-like creatures ran from Dolce's hut, they donned colorful outfits with color-coded accessories. "Took y'all long enough to get ready." Dolce pet them all individually, two sat on her shoulders, one sat on her head. "Yo, Phantasma, what are the odds of this plan actually working? What I mean is, do you think that we can all truly make it out alive?" Dolce slightly slouched back, hands crossed, her aura was much more serious than just a few minutes ago. "I mean I'm all for saving the slaves, and I'll ride into any battle with you, guns a blazing but, I'd just like to know if I could die in the process. Just asking so I can write my obituary now, no shade but I don't trust you guys enough to honor my beauty." Dolce laughed, she wasn't the type to fear death, her questions where only to get a reaction out of some of her crewmates, for her own research purposes of course. Sage nodded solemnly, although it was clear he was exaggerating. "Excellent plan! We shall un-bedazzle the Club's reputation! Understood!" "We will all be infiltrating the slaves as entertainers. From there, the job of allowing the slaves to escape will be left to Sage, Dolce, Pierre and Caroline. The rest of you will act in-tandem with me in order to help the other team's efforts, by defeating the leader of this whole operation. They are no doubt an Executive of this Covenant Slavers...but I couldn't find information on who the leader of this particular organization was." Phantasma relayed the plan blatantly towards all of her crewmates. "Is that clear~? If so, let us cheer~!" She exclaimed vibrantly once more. ---- "Oi oi oi!! Where are the flamin' event planners!!! They're runnin' behind schedule!!!" A well-built man in armor spoke, with bright red spiky hair that was braided and left hanging near his chest. He possessed numerous weapons on his person, but the most striking one was the artillery on his back, a gun colored a bright gold, imbued with several breath dials, functioning as a powerful flamethrower. This was Gideon, an executive of the Covenant Slavers and an affiliate to the Xros Pirates. His presence forced the other employees to squeal and find the event planners, as he brushed them all aside like mere leaves in his path. He was a man that would torch down entire countries if left to his own devices, and was feared by the as the "Olympic Torch", and held a considerable bounty of 240,000,000! "Oi Reem! Ya' know what the flame's goin' on!? The event starts tomorrow and we haven't got the flamin' food ready!" The aforementioned man, Reem, stood much to the side of the building and faced a wall... while headbutting it slowly. Another Executive of the Slavers, he was wanted by the epithet of Death Horn and a smaller bounty of 202,000,000. He had short gruffy hair, tanned skin, and well defined features. For an outfit, he had dark pants and gauntlets, "Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, food..." Reem continued, thump, thump, thump, his forehead collided softly against the wall, "She is... hmmmmmmm... very..." Another beat. Reem turned around to face Gideon with a blank expression, "Intimidating...!!!" Much like a cat, Reem rose his shoulders and widened his expression, "Some of our men were lying on the ground of her cell. So I hit her, so she started to... hmm, hiss." Amaryllis was, quite noticeably, pissed. She paced her "suite" with angry strides, stepping over the prone bodies of idiot workhands. One mistake! Just a little over a year ago and she had been captured and sold! First to some fourth rate circus that forced her to display her abilities and now to these clowns, who had thrust upon her the responsibility of planning some kind of party. A party! The outrage!! Her anger bubbled up again and she lashed out a quick kick at one of the unconscious men at her feet. Not to mention one of the buffoons had the audacity to hit her, the gall of some men! She would've lashed back, but he seemed...different from the rest. And with her powers bound by the cursed seastone collar she wore around her neck, she was unable to do much but fume and hiss and take her rage out on the helpless weaklings that kept begging her for instructions on the event. If they wanted her to plan something, she would. But it would be on her terms and to her liking, dammit. She stalked to the door of her cell, wide open but out of reach thanks to the long chain that attached her collar to the wall. Easier for her to get the attention of the other servants she supposed "Sssomeone get over here!" Before the second word was out of her mouth, three servants stood before her looking absolutely terrified "You: find competent musiciansss! You: sssummon the cookss, to my cell so we can dissscuss the menu! And you: find me sssnakess, the biggessst and most venomousss you can find. Without getting yourssself killed that isss..." They nodded quickly but stood there far to long for her liking, making her anger spike even further. Her flesh began to take on a scaled sheen and her eyes mirrored that of a snake's "Well?! WHY ARE YOU SSSTILL HERE?!" Her raised voice was enough to send them scurrying off to their respective tasks. It wasn't very nice of her to take her anger out on the worse off, but she couldn't really bring herself to care. Arranging the bodies of a few of the servants into a comfortable-ish pile, she took a seat and waited for them to return. "Oi ye' flamin' bitch!" Gideon returned to the room that Amaryllis was kept prisoner in as she ordered the henchmen to do her work. "Ya' better get this done flamin' fast, a'ight! Sinai-sama took you in because ya're supposed to be flamin' useful! Ya' have one day left to finish this prep! We don't flamin' care how many henchmen ya' work to death, get this flamin' done!" He left the room, his bright hair fuming as he went to finish his other tasks. He passed by a room with hundreds of photographs, and among those photographs were those of the Eminence Extravaganza. The Olympic Torch grinned, his smile lighting up the dark room. "Time to make some flamin' money!!" Singing Away, Slaving Away The concert at Evergarden was in full force! Nothing would stop this parade from taking place, even the rumors of slavery! For Evergarden's residents, it really didn't matter. They could forget reality for even one day, cheering and dancing away until dawn breaks once more. At the tremendously large stadium, activity was buzzing beyond belief. Thousands of people, even those from afar, had come to watch the festivities. One by one, troupes of entertainers came to put on their best shows. Singing, dancing, circus acts, displays of Devil Fruits. Everything that could be qualified as entertainment was put to the test today, and boy did they pass the test! Among these plethora of entertainers, the Eminence Extravaganza had conducted their performance. It was a lengthy one, with a plethora of acts that were all coordinated extraordinarily well by their Ringleader, Lockhart Phantasma! Adorned in a black gothic lolita dress, her opera tone moved the crowds, and as she danced on the wheels of her feet, the crowd could not control themselves. Suddenly, there was silence. The Eminence Extravaganza, no, the Purple Pirates, had made their move. Underneath the stadium, a large underground labyrinth was exposed by the Purple Pirates, and they had made their way into the entrance after knocking out the guards effortlessly. "Here we are~" Phantasma spoke, but in a quieter tone than normal. Unfortunately, this was a covert mission, and she had to increase their chance of success as much as possible. "The slaves are likely scattered all across the labyrinth, according to intel. They are being shipped out tomorrow, so we only have today to liberate all of them. We'll have to split into two teams. Who's going left, and who's going right?" Pierre noted at Phantasma's instructions, arms wrapped around himself. "P-Please, let's help," He tried to keep quiet too, despite the cheer in his tone. But then, as he blinked rapidly, Pierre nudged Phantasma by poking her side, "H-Hey Cap... where- where is the left and the right?" Xena quickly moved over to Pierre's side as she gave him a firm pat on the back, being unable to reach his shoulder due to the difference in height. "Come on, Pierre. It should be obvious that the left is correct and the right is not alright." Xena nodded to herself, her rabbit ears twitching in satisfaction. "As such, I'll go head down the left path, Captain Phantasma." Sage quite literally manifested from nothingness by Pierre, placing his arm on his shoulder. "Xena has a point! The left is correct, but the right is alright! After all, its in the word." he whispered harshly. Sage vanished, reappearing by the right pathway. "If Xena shall take the left, I shall even the odds and take the right!" Caroline flipped a knife casually before putting it away. "As a lefty by nature, it's only fair that I go that way. Forget that right way crap; lefty is where it's at," she commented, smirking. With that, she took off down the left pathway. "Oh..." Pierre pouted, lowering his head and his shoulders, "I-I see!" He glanced sideways and then rose his gaze towards the direction he had chosen. "I choose right!" Pierre pointed suddenly and walked on his tip-toes. Dolce stood three animals by her side. They soon began to run up each side of her, one taking a place on her head, another on her rightsholder, the last one hanging from the left, pointing forward in that direction. "Welp, Emerald has spoken. I'll take left." "Very well then. We don't have time to waste." Phantasma said, and presented two keys. "I will take the left side, so this key remains with me. Pierre, you keep this key, as this is for the right side. These keys unlock some of the slave's cells. The rest, you may have to brute force your way into. Remember, we have people waiting outside for us, including Magoria, but try to avoid excessive noise." "And if you encounter any members of the Covenant Slavers...I give you permission to kill on-sight." Phantasma said, with a grim tone, before moving her way to the left, and waiting for the people on her side to follow her. This was going to be a difficult mission, and her crew would have to be very careful. Wrongful Left The dungeon sprawled outwards, as cells were shown across every inch of the way. It was a labyrinth unlike any other. Virtually no light trickled here, and the small candles that were lit smelled terribly, with sulfur permeating the atmosphere. The number of guards was surprisingly minimal, but there was an ominous atmosphere in this sprawling area. The prisoners, who should have been rioting at their fate, were quiet and subdued. Something existed within this prison cell that had caused these prisoners to resign to their fates. Just how would the Purple Pirates assure these people of their freedom? By the center of the complex area stood the very source of that ominous feeling. Legs crossed while he sat over them, Reem breathed silently and rested his forearms atop his knees. Unlike his partner, Gideon, he had no need to walk around the "facility" and inspect each prisoner, not only would it take too long, but most of the prisoners had already known him for some time. Yes, they knew him. His chest rose as he breathed. The minimum light produced by the candles did little to showcase his bulky form, he wasn't just very muscular, Reem's very body peaked at about three meters, though many said it was just because of him being in his hybrid form. Whenever any prisoner dared to make some kind of sound, Reem's breathing gradually shifted into something louder and more erratic. Even then, he moved no inch, the only kind of movement coming from his surging muscles. As she continued down the left path, Xena briefly stopped as her rabbit ears twitched at the sound of the heavy, erratic breath which seemed to get louder as time went on. Before she could ponder on the sound for longer, her nose was immediately hit with the horrid smell of sulfur and crinkled in disgust as she covered her nose to prevent the odor from entering. "Captian Phantasma, I can't get the scent of the slaves through whatever is causing this smell and I can only hear the sound of someone or something breathing further down," Xena said as she narrowed her eyes. "It seems to be getting louder which each passing moment." Caroline almost ran into Xena as she stopped suddenly. She swerved around her before stopping herself. "Hmm?" A few moments later, her nose would be assaulted with the same smell. Her eyes watered. "Who took a massive dump? That shit smells terrible," she commented, backing up a few paces. She then listened as Xena spoke of the new development. "What's our plan?" "Oh hell no!" Dolce loudly whispered stopping behind the two girls. She peered deeper into the darkness, unable to see anything but the dimly lit candles and darkness. "First things first we need to do something about those shitty candles, any plan we make would be shit if we can't properly asses the room around us." Dolce said now facing her crewmates around her. "No...if we do anything about the candles, we'll be caught instantly. Although..." Phantasma said, with a chill running down her spine. "I feel like we're being baited forward~ Almost as if someone is inviting us to the untoward~" While Phantasma did sing, she did so very softly. "Stay behind me. I will use to guide my path. Xena, you supplement my Haki with your senses. Dolce, Caroline, stay behind both of us." Phantasma began to move forward, feeling the tension within the air. Whoever their enemy was, he did not intend on having these slaves freed. Indeed, through her Kenbunshoku, it would be very soon that Phantasma would feel Reem's presence looming in the shadows. However, having controlled his breathing, Reem also managed to mitigate the weight of his presence upon the world, he wasn't even just like any other guard that could have been strolling around, his flame was smaller than theirs. Some prisoners had the audacity of blinking while they looked at Reem, they found their eyes widening the next second. Reem disappeared in a mere thought, leaving not even a whisper nor any indication, they gasped, sending small echoes through the dungeon. Reem's hoofs made no sound whenever they met the ground, periodically, he walked normally, staring ahead into the darkness. Yet, it was more as if he ghosted through the place, hovering slightly above the floor, much like death hovering over reckless individuals. The Death Horn. Caroline took a deep breath, shifting formation so Phantasma and Xena were just ahead. She spun two knives her hands, their weight giving her a bit of reassurance in the looming dark. Not that it really mattered. There was a guard right? She wondered what they were like. "Here we go." Xena clicked her teeth together in annoyance, resulting in a small burst of fire being expelled from her mouth. The sound of breathing had vanished as if Reem had disappeared without a trace. "It's at times like this, I wish I knew how to use ," Xena mumbled to herself in annoyance. Nonetheless, she elected to focus her attention back on her sense, specifically smell. If she was unable to hear where Reem was moving, she could attempt to track them through smell. However, with the smell of sulfur permeating the air, it would make it slightly difficult for her to get a scent on him. "Be careful, everyone. I can't hear the sound of him and the sulfur is quite strong. Give me a couple of moments to get used to it and I should be able to track him down as well as the prisoners though." "Don't bother." Phantasma said, irked. "He's already here." Phantasma said, conjuring a pair of cycling wheels from her hands and her legs, standing in the same position as an ice skater. "Get ready for a fight, he won't go easy on us." Not long after the Purple Pirates had their conversation, they could feel something shifting through the air, the smell of sulfur would get even stronger. Closest to Xena's location, something was approaching the group at incredible speed, shifting even the wind around it. Surely, given how it was coming through, attacks were already dawning upon them. However, at that same moment, masked under this other attack was another something approaching them at great speed. It seemed quieter, likely to distract them from the initial attack, and came more from Dolce's side. How could they know which was the attack? Both "somethings" were already very close, commands and actions had to be taken by the next second. Who would stand where? What would each of them do? Xena's ears twitched as she looked in the direction where she heard the sudden movement of something. With each passing second, she could hear the shifting of the air and didn't bother to hesitate as she took a deep breath, Xena's chest expanding outwards as a result of her actions before she exhaled with great force, a torrent of red-orange flames expelled from her mouth in the direction of the sound nearest to her. At the very least, her circus mate's attack brought more light to the tunnel; it allowed her to see where Xena was targeting. If Xe was going for that sound, Carol would go for the other. Deathly sharp knives appeared in her hands, before being coated in a round of Buso. She then tossed them, the blades cleaving through towards the other sound. Dolce's knives landed sharply over some sort of flesh, surely they had found their opponet, in under a second, she would see a man wearing ragged clothes fall down towards her instead, his eyes devoid of anything. The quieter sound had actually been the ruse, though, it also happened by chance. Jumping over from Xena's side was the hulking figure of Reem, having surged through and avoided the flames with the altitude he had taken. Still, his skin glistened with sweat at the fire of the girl. Although he didn't know of their abilities, the fact that Xena illuminated part of the place not only helped her group, but Reem himself, as it pratically gave him their location. The other girl, Dolce, seemed distracted enough, therefore, Reem prepared to give a double kick and smash Xena into the ground, utilizing both his own strength and weight. Reem spoke nothing, not even uttering any name for his attack, it had been covered in a layer of Busoshoku Haki, so that it would be further enhanced. Weight, momentum, power, and Haki, they all collaborated for Reem to down Xena in one blow. Vengeful Right "OI YOU FLAMIN' SLAVES! WHAT IN THE FLAMIN' HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" A voice echoed throughout the right side of the labyrinth, which had been completely lit by flames at every cell. The heat was excruciating, to the point where the slaves had lost their energy from the light and heat that was forced onto them for every second of their time here. The voice that had been echoed was of the infamous "Olympic Torch" Gideon. Although his words were motivational, urging the slaves into action, it was merely another way of breaking them down. Their bodies and minds, plagued with the heat, were unable to take any action. It was a sadistic method of torture, but Gideon simply laughed. No matter what conspiracies he thought of to bring his slaves down, everything he did paled compared to his boss, Sir Sinai. All the Olympic Torch could do was emulate him as best as he could, while waiting for the time to leave this island with their slaves in-hand. The brightness of the halls prompted Pierre to hold a hand in front of his face, trying to take steady steps alongside everybody else. "C-Can you guys feel anything?" He asked, looking backwards only with an eye open, his voice low, but not too low. Pierre was a fighter who not only specialized in Busoshoku Haki, rather, that was the sole shade of Haki he was taught in. He pointed forward, waiting if anyone even had a response, while he didn't dare to look inside the cells. Sage was much louder than other people. Even his whispers came out as his "indoors" voice. "I can feel my clothes on my skin!" he exclaimed. "But, I can also feel people. Fear. A lot of it." Category:Role-Plays Category:Ash9876 Category:Shoshiki Category:DamonDraco Category:The Outlandish Category:GeminiVIII Category:TheOmniscientBear Category:KontonMan Category:Arukana